This week’s five favourite comments

• I can’t promise I will get to do all of the fav fives while I am on vacation so if this area is blank please forgive me I will be back soon
• All comment from Day 245… Read More
• Jo on Day 247- All of us could use this wonderful perspective…  Read More
• Deb J on Day 250 – Yes, yes, yes!! I so agree. Right now I use a carryon roller case but I am looking for what you have… Read More

Five great posts I dug up in blog archives before my vacation

• Unclutterer – Saying farewell to a family home
• Zen Habits – Get off your butt 16 ways to get motivated when youre in a slump
• Becoming Minimalist – Eliminating the little rocks
• mnmlist – Finding contentedness
• The sound of my own wheels – Source of inspiration

ITEM 253 OF 365 LESS THINGS

Just a couple more items from the camphor wood chest that aren’t likely to be used my me

Family Birthday Parties without Clutter

A guest post by Cindy Bogard

On Day 209, Colleen wrote about having a clutter-free birthday for her 19 year old son. For those of you with younger kids who thought, “Sure, that worked for her; he’s 19 after all,” this post is for you. My daughters are 8 and 10 (just beginning 3^rd and 5^th grades), and I’m here to tell you it is possible to reduce their birthday haul without reducing their birthday happiness.

First of all, if you’re going to make any drastic changes to the way things have been, you need to prep your kids in advance. With my girls, the preliminary conversation was easy and began naturally. My eldest daughter’s birthday is right before Christmas, and we had celebrated her birthday at her Grandmother’s house. At the end of the evening, we packed up her gifts into a box and brought them home. Over Spring Break (March), I realized that the box was still sitting in my daughter’s room, largely untouched. That began the conversation about how much we enjoy receiving gifts – much more, usually, than we actually enjoy the gifts themselves.

What Colleen did for  her son, and what every birthday person enjoys, is feeling like the king or queen of the day. I have few memories of any particular gifts I’ve received, but I have great memories of parties and special dinners that were thrown in my honor. You child is no different.

This year when my daughter turned 8, I had been decluttering for 2 months, and clutter had become part of the flow of family conversation, which included my husband, my children, and my mother. I did have to send an email about it to my in-laws, and they were much more receptive than I would have guessed. (I’ve been trying to trim down gift giving for as long as I’ve been a part of their family, so they can’t have been too surprised.)

My daughter received a necklace holder made for her by her Dad, several pieces of jewelry, a lucky bamboo plant in a special container, and a rosebush for her garden – that’s it for gifts from her parents, sister, Godfather, and two sets of grandparents. (As an aside, I have to brag that my husband made the necklace holder only out of items he found in the garage – a decluttering project in and of itself –  and when she hung her necklaces on them, my daughter decided that she was through with two of them and that they could go to the thrift store.)

Where’s the part where she was the Queen of the Day? Her birthday was on Sunday this year, and she ruled from Friday night through Sunday evening. On Friday, we had a family birthday dinner where she selected the menu and opened gifts from other family members. On Sunday, she received a blessing at church, and I took her picture with the rector afterwards. She opened one gift before church and one gift after church. We watch a DVD and have pizza every Sunday, but as a birthday treat we went out to dinner and saw a movie at a theater instead. In between, every time we said prayers from Friday through Sunday, we said an extra thank you for her.

These things, I believe, are the memories that she will retain, long after any games or trinkets she might have received would have broken or been passed along to younger children.

ITEM 252 OF 365 LESS THINGS

Another craft ebay sale once again not a very lucrative one only $5.00 again.

Back on day 159 I instigated a Use It Up Challenge which quite a few of my readers jumped on board with. We found some interesting uses for things that we were desperate to use up in ways other than intended and made special efforts to just focus on others. The end of the last challenge were on Day 171.

Since then I have been continuously using up things that I have excess of and today I will share them with you.

• Three sample size bottles of perfume that had been given to me from friends.
• Aluminium foil & plastic wrap that we had doubled up on due to my husband working away for a year.
• A small bottle of salt (same reason as above)
• A jar of body butter. Every time I think I am going to get my moisturiser down to one bottle/jar someone gives me another one as a gift
• A sample bottle of bubble bath (one of a pack of six) also from a friend who had been away on vacation in Hawaii.

I get the greatest pleasure when I get to the end of each these items even though they are small it is one more thing not cluttering  up my home. I am hoping to eliminate plastic wrap altogether.

ITEM 251 OF 365 LESS THINGS

Here are the items I used up but I am sure this won’t be the last we will see of Use It Up

Another guest post by my husband.

You’ll never meet a traveller who, after five trips, brags: “Every year I pack heavier.”

Rick Steves – Travel Writer

These words echo in my head every time I pack for trip, whether business or pleasure, reducing the amount of stuff I carry always makes for a more enjoyable time. Whenever I travel with colleagues, they are amazed by my small bag and unable to imagine how they could do it. Packing light is easier than they think and anyone can reduce their luggage to a manageable size with some planning and preparation.

Colleen and I are committed to only take as much stuff as can be carried onto the flight; a 9″ x 22″ x 14″ bag weighing no more than 7 Kilos (15 lbs) plus a smaller bag for personal items like a camera. We use a convertible backpack/suitcase with zip-away shoulder straps that is lighter than your average roller bag, and easy to tote across town to our hotel. How do we do it? Well, my bag contains the following items:

• 2 collared shirts
• 2 t-shirts
• 1 pair of pants
• 1 pair of shorts/swimmers
• 4 sets of underwear
• 4 pair of socks
• 1 jacket
• Vibram Five Fingers
• small toiletries kit
• first aid kit
• 1 small towel
• journal/pens
• sewing kit
• guide book/maps
• phrase book (if needed)

In my camera bag:

• DSLR plus 28-135mm zoom
• 50mm lens
• iPod Touch
• battery charger
• spare battery/compact flash drives
• Archos 604WIFI (used for photo storage and charging the iPod)

I used to carry a laptop but an iPod touch provides me all the computing power I need except for an ability to upload photos from my camera so I carry the Archos 604. Despite carrying two devices, I still save more than half the weight of your average 12-13 inch laptop or netbook.

The main advantage of this small uncluttered travel bag is mobility. While most people are waiting for their bags, we are heading to the hotel. We can easily change planes, trains or buses when a delay occurs because everything is with us. Sure we have to do some washing along the way but it is often no more expensive to use a fluff and fold service than to do the laundry yourself. We also use lightweight wash and wear clothes that can be washed in a sink if necessary, and air dried over night.

Virtually nothing in our bag is there because we might need it, we will use every item continuously throughout our travels and when those one-off occasions arise we just buy what we need at that time. Plan for the best and be prepared to spend a little money if needed, why ruin a vacation lugging a huge bag of stuff you never use to save a few dollars. Travelling light is an awakening that can open your eyes to how little you need in your life, try it on your next vacation.

For those who cannot imagine travelling with one small bag, check out Rolf Potts’ No Baggage trip.

ITEM 250 0F 365 LESS THINGS

I am sure someone will find these fabric scraps useful but I am sure I am not going to use them

Coupon and Gift Card Management

Even though I never encourage anyone to shop needlessly here at 365lessthings there are always things that one needs and has to shop for. Quite often you can make some great savings by using store and manufacturer coupons. And there are always those gift cards that we so often receive that need to be used up. Cindy has been kind enough to write a post with her method of keeping her coupons and gift cards organized and easy to access. Here is what she had to say…

A guest post by Cindy Bogard

I don’t clip a lot of grocery coupons. When I get the circular for Costco, I tear out the coupons for the items I’ll buy and hang them on the refrigerator behind my grocery list. When I go to Costco, I grab the coupons too. That’s the end of my grocery coupon management.

What I do have a lot of is gift cards, merchandise credits, frequent buyer reward coupons, and discount coupons that I’ve purchased through businesses like groupon.com.

On the advice of a friend who owns an organizing business, I purchased a plastic envelope for a dollar. (Mine is from The Container Store.) It’s pretty big – about 7×5 inches – but not thick, and I put all my coupons, gift cards, etc. into it. On the front of the stack, I keep a running tally of everything in the envelope: store name, amount, and the expiration date. I carry it in my purse all the time, so I’m never waiting to check out and then want to slap my head because the envelope is in the car. Since I have to pull out the envelope to get the coupon, it’s easy to update the tally right there at the register, before I leave the store.

If the coupon is one I really want to make sure I use, not only do I put it in my envelope, I also make a notation in my calendar a week before the coupon expires. A simple “Petco, 10% off, exp. 8/18” is all I need to keep me on track.

I’m not crazy about gift cards or merchandise credits; I feel like they’re a bit of a trap – you have to spend $X (and probably a little more) in order to use up the card. I’ve tried to fight this feeling with generosity: If there’s only a small amount left on the card but the store won’t return the overage in cash and I don’t shop there frequently, I take the card, smile sweetly, turn to the person behind me in line, and offer it to them. There’s often a momentary look of confusion followed by a big grin. It’s a way of spreading the love, and it didn’t cost me a thing.

ITEM 249 OF 365 LESS THINGS

This one is going I am not sure how yet but it is going.

Today I want to draw your attention to a web site that I discovered thanks to Stephanie who writes a blog called Renouncement . I first met Stephanie through a comment she left on my blog back in Day 208 and I featured her blog on Day 210. As always I went over to Stephanie’s blog to check it out as I always do when someone new leaves a comment. On her About Me page she had listed among her favour books one called Not So Big House. Being the curious little munchkin I am I was intrigued and had to check it out. So I did what all computer savvy folk do and googled it and found this interesting web site…

www.notsobighouse.com

Below is the intro from the front page of this site

The Not So Big House books by Sarah Susanka bring to light a new way of thinking about what makes a place feel like home—characteristics that many people desire of their homes and their lives, but haven’t known how to verbalize.

How big is Not So Big? Not So Big doesn’t mean small. It means not as big as you thought you needed. But as a rule of thumb, a Not So Big House is approximately a third smaller than your original goal but about the same price as your original budget. The magic is that although the house is smaller in square footage, it actually feels much bigger.

What a wonderful idea someone actually designing homes that make sense  functionally are aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly. Even though these homes as still not small they are designed to entice people into building smaller and leaving a smaller footprint on the planet. What a wonderful idea. Please go over and take a look at this website especially if you are planning to build or renovate.

ITEM 248 OF 365 LESS THINGS

Finally the last of hubby’s clothes

What Illness Taught Me About Decluttering

Guest Post by – Donna Tressler The Sound Of My Own Wheels

Recently I watched the 2010 Messiest Home in the Country episode of Clean House, which featured a family of four living in a home filled with an incomprehensible amount of clutter. There was a lot of finger pointing in the episode – particularly at the father who “guilt shopped” while he traveled for work, but the thing that struck me as interesting was how illness (the mom was a thyroid cancer survivor) had played a roll in the accumulation of the family’s clutter. Serious illness has a profound affect on people and we all react differently. For this family buying more stuff was the answer to their pain. For me, it was just the opposite.

In 2001 I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. Initially I was euphoric to have an answer to all the health issues that had plagued me for months, then the reality of living with an incurable (but manageable) illness set in, and I went into denial. I didn’t take care of myself as well as I should, and eventually I went into a flair up of the disease that lasted 16 months.

It was a horrible time in my life and by the time I came out of the flair up, I was physically and mentally exhausted from trying to maintain my job, my house, my marriage, and my relationships with family and friends. It took nearly two years to completely regain my former self, and during that time I began looking for way to improve the quality of my life. In addition to taking better care of myself and managing stress (which is a huge factor in my illness), I looked for ways to simplify my life in the event that I suffered another flair up.

Eventually I realized that the less stuff I have, the less I would have to maintain if I did get that sick again. I’d like to say I had an epiphany and instantly went on a decluttering mission that got rid of every unnecessary item in one fell swoop, but life is rarely that way. Instead it has been a continuous journey of looking at each area of my life with fresh eyes. I began by getting rid of things I didn’t use, clothes I didn’t wear, books I would never read again, and have continued on from there. I’m constantly revisiting a cabinet, a closet, a shelf, and asking what can go from this area?

As I have pared down, I have found that there are several methods that have been most effective for me in getting on, and more importantly staying on, the declutter path. My methods work for existing items in my house and items that I contemplate buying.

• I ask myself if I got “that sick” again, would I want to deal with this item
• I ask myself the questions on the Declutter Decision Making Guide here on 365lessthings
• I ask myself how many hours of working/commuting it would take to pay for the item

Someone once said “life is what happens while you are making other plans.” For me that’s a whole other blog post, but by sticking with my trifecta of clutter busting methods, I have managed to mostly stick to the trail and continue on the decluttering path, which in turn simplifies my life, helps manage my stress and thereby my overall health. It’s a win-win situation.

ITEM 246 OF 365 LESS THINGS

More things I won’t need to iron yay!

My favourite five comments  fo the week

• Di on Day 234 – Before I started getting into minimalism, I was regularly decluttering and having garage sales. When I knew a certain person was coming to check out my sale items, I would hide…Read More
• Cindy on Day 245 – Colleen is right when she has pointed out that while recycling is better than trash, it nonetheless uses energy and creates pollution…. Read more
• Jessiejack on Day 243 -I think it’s important to remember the past and cherish  Read More
• Donna on Day 242 – Great post Colleen’s husband! It really is true that we wear 20% of wardrobe 80% of the time. Read More
• Paola on Day 241– This is my first comment even though I’ve been reading your blog for the last three months or so…Read More

Thanks everyone for keeping those comments coming. I am not getting alot of internet time but when I do I try to read as many as I can.

Five great links/posts I dug up from blog archives for your entertainment while I am on vacation

• My Zero Waste – Reduce
• Sanity In Simplicity – 7 Ways to unload the unnecessary
• Unclutterer – Musings on children’s birthday parties
• eHow – How to simplify and unclutter your home
• The halfway Point – Fifty ways to say no

ITEM 246 OF 365 LESS THINGS

Yes even more clothes, don’t worry we will have something different for you soon

Even though my blog is primarily about decluttering there is a very strong element of doing the right thing by the environment. I have a lot to learn in this area but I would like to think I am making a pretty good effort.

I do try to be conservative with the amount of heating and cooling we use in our home. This is made easier because we live in a relatively small home by choice. I try to be conservative with the amount of driving I do but there is plenty of room for improvement in this area also. I am not getting much assistance with the miserable weather we have been having here lately though.

I recycle every little thing I can and even surprise myself at how little actual garbage our family generates. I do have a few issues in this area that I would like to start a discussion about. I am very concerned about the amount of recycling that is generated in my home due to day to day living. I feel inundated sometimes with plastic Juice and milk bottles, cardboard packaging and tin cans. Even though I know these items are going to be recycled I would rather be able to cut down on the quantity. It would be lovely if you could take these containers back and have them refilled like you do with fuel in your car but that just isn’t likely to become a reality.

Not in a million years would I consider dropping even one item of litter but I am concerned about how many of the items I do put in the recycling and garbage bins may end up as litter anyway. I was watching a show on TV involving waste management just this week and was appalled at the amount of trash that was blowing away in the wind from the landfill. Does this also happen at the recycling plants and public trash cans?

I went for a walk with a friend the other day along a boardwalk in a mangrove area near her home. I could not believe the amount of trash washed up among the mangrove trees. My friend said a lot of this garbage washing down the storm drains from the city streets. It truly shocked me. Are people really this careless I would like to think not.

ITEM 245 OF 365 LESS THINGS

Just more clothes. I thought it was females who had the overcrowded closets!

Recluttering

A Guest Post by Cindy Bogard

It’s bound to happen sometime; you’re going to have to break down and buy something. Before you do, consider these factors:

1. Do I need it?
2. Do I want it?
3. Did I come into the store looking for this item, or did it just catch my eye?
4. Would I be criticized if my spouse or family members knew that I had purchased this?
5. Can I afford it? If I cannot pay for it now, should I buy it?
6. Can I wait a week and see if I still believe I need to buy this?
7. I am buying it “just to try it”? If I am, is there some other way that I could try it first?
8. Can I borrow it or rent it instead?
9. Can I buy it used?
10. Can I share the purchase of this item with someone else? (Lawn tools, exercise equipment, a bicycle, or magazine subscriptions all fall into this category.)
11. Have I researched this purchase? Is this item durable and does it do the things I want?
12. Will this item be easy use, maintain, and keep organized? Does this item perform more than one function?
13. Do I have something at home that will perform the same function? Will it replace one or more other things that I already have? Am I willing to move those other things along? Do I truly need to replace those things?
14. Do I have a place to store this item? Do I know that it fits?
15. Is it in a color or style that I will continue to enjoy? Does it fit with my décor or the other things in my wardrobe?
16. What is it made of? Where was it made? Are the components healthy for me and the environment? Is it labeled for recycling? Is it made of recycled parts?
17. Can I sell it when I no longer want it?

ITEM 244 OF 365 LESS THINGS

These are almost too cute to part with